<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
<meta name="generator" content="Docutils 0.9.1: http://docutils.sourceforge.net/" />
<title>W-App: Real desktop applications from web pages</title>
<style type="text/css">

/*
:Author: David Goodger (goodger@python.org)
:Id: $Id: html4css1.css 7434 2012-05-11 21:06:27Z milde $
:Copyright: This stylesheet has been placed in the public domain.

Default cascading style sheet for the HTML output of Docutils.

See http://docutils.sf.net/docs/howto/html-stylesheets.html for how to
customize this style sheet.
*/

/* used to remove borders from tables and images */
.borderless, table.borderless td, table.borderless th {
  border: 0 }

table.borderless td, table.borderless th {
  /* Override padding for "table.docutils td" with "! important".
     The right padding separates the table cells. */
  padding: 0 0.5em 0 0 ! important }

.first {
  /* Override more specific margin styles with "! important". */
  margin-top: 0 ! important }

.last, .with-subtitle {
  margin-bottom: 0 ! important }

.hidden {
  display: none }

a.toc-backref {
  text-decoration: none ;
  color: black }

blockquote.epigraph {
  margin: 2em 5em ; }

dl.docutils dd {
  margin-bottom: 0.5em }

object[type="image/svg+xml"], object[type="application/x-shockwave-flash"] {
  overflow: hidden;
}

/* Uncomment (and remove this text!) to get bold-faced definition list terms
dl.docutils dt {
  font-weight: bold }
*/

div.abstract {
  margin: 2em 5em }

div.abstract p.topic-title {
  font-weight: bold ;
  text-align: center }

div.admonition, div.attention, div.caution, div.danger, div.error,
div.hint, div.important, div.note, div.tip, div.warning {
  margin: 2em ;
  border: medium outset ;
  padding: 1em }

div.admonition p.admonition-title, div.hint p.admonition-title,
div.important p.admonition-title, div.note p.admonition-title,
div.tip p.admonition-title {
  font-weight: bold ;
  font-family: sans-serif }

div.attention p.admonition-title, div.caution p.admonition-title,
div.danger p.admonition-title, div.error p.admonition-title,
div.warning p.admonition-title {
  color: red ;
  font-weight: bold ;
  font-family: sans-serif }

/* Uncomment (and remove this text!) to get reduced vertical space in
   compound paragraphs.
div.compound .compound-first, div.compound .compound-middle {
  margin-bottom: 0.5em }

div.compound .compound-last, div.compound .compound-middle {
  margin-top: 0.5em }
*/

div.dedication {
  margin: 2em 5em ;
  text-align: center ;
  font-style: italic }

div.dedication p.topic-title {
  font-weight: bold ;
  font-style: normal }

div.figure {
  margin-left: 2em ;
  margin-right: 2em }

div.footer, div.header {
  clear: both;
  font-size: smaller }

div.line-block {
  display: block ;
  margin-top: 1em ;
  margin-bottom: 1em }

div.line-block div.line-block {
  margin-top: 0 ;
  margin-bottom: 0 ;
  margin-left: 1.5em }

div.sidebar {
  margin: 0 0 0.5em 1em ;
  border: medium outset ;
  padding: 1em ;
  background-color: #ffffee ;
  width: 40% ;
  float: right ;
  clear: right }

div.sidebar p.rubric {
  font-family: sans-serif ;
  font-size: medium }

div.system-messages {
  margin: 5em }

div.system-messages h1 {
  color: red }

div.system-message {
  border: medium outset ;
  padding: 1em }

div.system-message p.system-message-title {
  color: red ;
  font-weight: bold }

div.topic {
  margin: 2em }

h1.section-subtitle, h2.section-subtitle, h3.section-subtitle,
h4.section-subtitle, h5.section-subtitle, h6.section-subtitle {
  margin-top: 0.4em }

h1.title {
  text-align: center }

h2.subtitle {
  text-align: center }

hr.docutils {
  width: 75% }

img.align-left, .figure.align-left, object.align-left {
  clear: left ;
  float: left ;
  margin-right: 1em }

img.align-right, .figure.align-right, object.align-right {
  clear: right ;
  float: right ;
  margin-left: 1em }

img.align-center, .figure.align-center, object.align-center {
  display: block;
  margin-left: auto;
  margin-right: auto;
}

.align-left {
  text-align: left }

.align-center {
  clear: both ;
  text-align: center }

.align-right {
  text-align: right }

/* reset inner alignment in figures */
div.align-right {
  text-align: inherit }

/* div.align-center * { */
/*   text-align: left } */

ol.simple, ul.simple {
  margin-bottom: 1em }

ol.arabic {
  list-style: decimal }

ol.loweralpha {
  list-style: lower-alpha }

ol.upperalpha {
  list-style: upper-alpha }

ol.lowerroman {
  list-style: lower-roman }

ol.upperroman {
  list-style: upper-roman }

p.attribution {
  text-align: right ;
  margin-left: 50% }

p.caption {
  font-style: italic }

p.credits {
  font-style: italic ;
  font-size: smaller }

p.label {
  white-space: nowrap }

p.rubric {
  font-weight: bold ;
  font-size: larger ;
  color: maroon ;
  text-align: center }

p.sidebar-title {
  font-family: sans-serif ;
  font-weight: bold ;
  font-size: larger }

p.sidebar-subtitle {
  font-family: sans-serif ;
  font-weight: bold }

p.topic-title {
  font-weight: bold }

pre.address {
  margin-bottom: 0 ;
  margin-top: 0 ;
  font: inherit }

pre.literal-block, pre.doctest-block, pre.math, pre.code {
  margin-left: 2em ;
  margin-right: 2em }

pre.code .ln { /* line numbers */
  color: grey;
}

.code {
  background-color: #eeeeee
}

span.classifier {
  font-family: sans-serif ;
  font-style: oblique }

span.classifier-delimiter {
  font-family: sans-serif ;
  font-weight: bold }

span.interpreted {
  font-family: sans-serif }

span.option {
  white-space: nowrap }

span.pre {
  white-space: pre }

span.problematic {
  color: red }

span.section-subtitle {
  /* font-size relative to parent (h1..h6 element) */
  font-size: 80% }

table.citation {
  border-left: solid 1px gray;
  margin-left: 1px }

table.docinfo {
  margin: 2em 4em }

table.docutils {
  margin-top: 0.5em ;
  margin-bottom: 0.5em }

table.footnote {
  border-left: solid 1px black;
  margin-left: 1px }

table.docutils td, table.docutils th,
table.docinfo td, table.docinfo th {
  padding-left: 0.5em ;
  padding-right: 0.5em ;
  vertical-align: top }

table.docutils th.field-name, table.docinfo th.docinfo-name {
  font-weight: bold ;
  text-align: left ;
  white-space: nowrap ;
  padding-left: 0 }

h1 tt.docutils, h2 tt.docutils, h3 tt.docutils,
h4 tt.docutils, h5 tt.docutils, h6 tt.docutils {
  font-size: 100% }

ul.auto-toc {
  list-style-type: none }

</style>
</head>
<body>
<div class="document" id="w-app-real-desktop-applications-from-web-pages">
<h1 class="title">W-App: Real desktop applications from web pages</h1>

<p><strong>WARNING:
W-App IS IN ITS VERY EARLY STAGE AND STILL IN DEVELOPMENT, USE IT AT YOUR OWN
RISK!</strong></p>
<a class="reference external image-reference" href="http://chenxing.name/wapp_screenshot.png"><img alt="Screenshot for W-App" src="http://chenxing.name/wapp_ss_thumb.png" /></a>
<p>W-App aims to turn a web application into a real desktop application. By
default, each application can have <strong>a desktop entry</strong> and <strong>a system tray
icon</strong>. For more application specific features, one can use W-App's <strong>extension
interface</strong> to create your own applications with system notification, automatic
log-in, and whatever you like. You will also be able to download applications
created by others.</p>
<p>You can easily create a local web application from a URL. Besides, some sample
applications are included in the package for your convenience:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li>Google Calendar</li>
<li>Google Mail</li>
<li>Google Tasks</li>
<li>爱词霸 (An English-Chinese Dictionary)</li>
<li>Web QQ (A popular IM in mainland China)</li>
<li>Web Feixin (飞信, Another popular IM in China)</li>
</ul>
<p>Among them, Web QQ has a customized interface (code mainly comes from another
open source project <tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">python-webqq</span></tt>). Customization for other apps are still
in development.</p>
<p>I'm planning to start something like a &quot;Web App Store&quot; so that people can share
and download customized web applications.</p>
<div class="section" id="installation">
<h1>Installation</h1>
<p>For <strong>Archlinux</strong> users, try it NOW by installing <tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">w-app-git</span></tt> from AUR.</p>
<p>For other distributions, please install Python 2 packages including
<tt class="docutils literal">pywebkitgtk</tt>, <tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">python-keybinder</span></tt>, <tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">python-notify</span></tt>, <tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">python-pyqt</span></tt> and
<tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">python-beautifulsoup3</span></tt>. Names of these packages may vary. Python 3 will be
supported once the switch from PyGTK to PyQt is done.</p>
<p>For all <strong>GNOME 3</strong> users, we highly recommend the extension
<a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/rcmorano/gnome-shell-gnome2-notifications">https://github.com/rcmorano/gnome-shell-gnome2-notifications</a> (AUR:
<tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">gnome-shell-extension-gnome2-notifications-git</span></tt>) to show tray icons in the
top panel. (Restarting GNOME Shell is required for the extension to be in
effect)</p>
<p>To run the application, find <tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">W-App</span></tt> in system menu or run <tt class="docutils literal">wapp</tt> in
command line.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="what-s-next">
<h1>What's Next?</h1>
<p>Short-period:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li>Shortcuts to call out a application.</li>
<li>Applications without tray.</li>
<li>More comments for source codes.</li>
</ul>
<p>Long-period:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li>Prepare some APIs for creating desktop apps.</li>
<li>Build an app store so that people can share and download wrappers from
different web apps.</li>
<li>Rewrite the GTK+ codes in Qt and QWebkit.</li>
<li>A tutorial for creating a new app with customizations.</li>
</ul>
<p>If you'd like to suggest features, please do that by submitting an issue. Thanks!</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="fogger">
<h1>Fogger?</h1>
<p>Unfortunately I started developing this app with my limited spare time before
Fogger was released. Nevertheless, after seeing Fogger, I believe this small
project is still meaningful because:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li>It doesn't require Ubuntu or Unity.</li>
<li>The design and idea are different in some areas. Extending an app with Python
may not be too much harder than Javascript (as done in Fogger), but can make
much more powerful features.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="section" id="acknowledgement">
<h1>Acknowledgement</h1>
<p>Currently lots of GTK+ and Webkit codes is copied with modification from
another open source project <tt class="docutils literal"><span class="pre">python-webqq</span></tt>, which is available at:
<a class="reference external" href="http://code.google.com/p/python-webqq/">http://code.google.com/p/python-webqq/</a></p>
<p>The current logo is from <a class="reference external" href="http://www.fasticon.com/">http://www.fasticon.com/</a></p>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>
